Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 714-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-pkt-714-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, LST-715 (live NHHC page, verified this session) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text (l/lst-715.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records for this hull: laid down 7 June 1944 at Jeffersonville, Ind., by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co.; launched 20 July 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Loudie S. Moffatt; commissioned 15 August 1944. WWII: Asiatic-Pacific theater - assault and occupation of Iwo Jima (February-March 1945) and Okinawa Gunto (May-June 1945); occupation duty in the Far East until mid-September 1945; decommissioned 17 April 1946; transferred to the United States Army 28 June 1946; struck from the Navy list 29 September 1946; reacquired 25 July 1950; redesignated DeKalb County (LST-715), after counties in six states, 1 July 1955; transferred to MSTS December 1965, served as USNS DeKalb County until struck from the Navy list 1 November 1973. Two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Construction trades (Jeffersonville, 1944); crew (1944-46, 1950-65); MSTS civil-service crew (1965-73)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; the DANFS entry contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives the first strike as 29 September 1946; NavSource and derivative secondary sources give 29 September 1947 - conflict carried in gaps. DANFS does not record the second decommissioning date or the Korean War detail carried by NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USNS De Kalb County (T-LST-715) ex USS De Kalb County (LST-715) - designation timeline, campaign credits, specifications, commanding officers, photo captions (live navsource.net page verified this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160715.htm header block, campaign tables, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull adds detail DANFS omits: commissioned USS LST-715 15 August 1944 with Ens. Robert I. Trapp USN in command; WWII assignment to LST Flotilla Twenty-One / LST Group Sixty-One / LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Two, with campaign-table dates - Iwo Jima 19 February-3 March 1945, Okinawa Gunto 1 May-7 June 1945; Navy Occupation Service window 9-12 September 1945; commissioned USAT LST-715 29 June 1946; struck from the Naval Register 29 September 1947 (conflicts with DANFS's 1946 - see gaps); reinstated 10 August 1950; recommissioned USS LST-715 30 August 1950. Korean War campaigns: Inchon Landing (13-17 September 1950), North Korean Aggression (18 September-2 November 1950), Communist China Aggression (3 November 1950-14 January 1951), UN Counter Offensive (1-14 March 1951), Second Korean Winter (11 January-30 April 1952), Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (1 May-6 August 1952) - six battle stars. China service 8-12 February 1955; named USS De Kalb County (LST-715) 1 July 1955; decommissioned (date unknown); MSTS December 1965 as USNS De Kalb County (T-LST-715); out of service and struck 1 November 1973; MARAD custody at NDRF Suisun Bay; disposed by MARAD 30 April 1984 for scrapping. Specifications (class data): 1,625 t light / 4,080 t full; 328 ft oa; 50 ft beam; 11.6 kt; two GM 12-567A 900 hp diesels, Falk reduction gears, three 100 kW diesel-drive ship's-service generators, twin screws; complement printed as 9 officers / 120 enlisted plus 14 officers / 131 enlisted troops.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1984
- Population
- Crew (1944-46, 1950-65); USAT army crew (1946-50); MSTS crew (1965-73); NDRF lay-up and shipbreaking trades (1974-84)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but the first-strike date conflicts with DANFS (1947 vs 1946). The specifications block is LST-542 class data reproduced on the hull page, not a hull-specific survey. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-02
-
[4]NavSource photo captions, U.S. Naval Shipyard Mare Island photo series # 10068-8-51, 10071-8-51, 10072-8-51, 10074-8-51 (contributors Robert Hurst, Darryl Baker) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 10/16/160715.htm photo caption block (Mare Island series, August 1951)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource-captioned Mare Island Naval Shipyard photography documents this hull under repair at Mare Island, Vallejo, California, from 5 May to 9 August 1951 - a documented shipyard availability at a yard whose Atlas record carries documented asbestos product history (Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, packing and gasket products).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1951
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard trades (May-August 1951); crew during availability
- Limitations
- The captions document the hull's presence and the repair window (5 May - 9 August 1951), not the scope of work performed - no work package, availability record, or material documentation was located. A yard period at an asbestos-documented yard is exposure-relevant context, not evidence of asbestos work on this hull. No asbestos content in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-03
-
[5]MARAD Vessel History Database, DE KALB COUNTY (LST-715), vessel detail 1224 + scanned status cards: Form MA-383 'Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars' (card 1224_2231AF.jpg) and Form MA-199 'Vessel Status Card' (card 1QM_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/1224 milestones table + Status Cards images (MA-383, MA-199)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD records document the custody chain for this hull: Department of the Navy delivered the vessel to Maritime Administration custody at Suisun Bay (National Defense Reserve Fleet) on 18 March 1974 (2:45 pm PDT; 'Custody - Navy Retention' per MA-199). On 30 April 1984 (9:15 am PDT) she was withdrawn and delivered to Jon M. Liss Associates, Inc., at Suisun Bay as a 'Trade-Out scrap ship' pursuant to Exchange Contract for AMERICAN RACER / AMERICAN RELIANCE, U.S. Lines, Inc., contract numbers MA-11359 and MA-11442 dated 13 October 1983 (MA-383 'Reason' field). MARAD detail page records year built 1944, Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company, 328 ft x 50 ft, fate 'Scrapped'; mission list includes World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1974-1984
- Population
- NDRF Suisun Bay lay-up crews (1974-84); Jon M. Liss Associates shipbreaking trades (1984)
- Limitations
- Primary government custody/disposal record: documents lay-up location, entry and withdrawal dates/times, disposal mechanism (trade-out exchange), and buyer. It contains no hazmat, asbestos, or material-handling content - no ACM statement for the lay-up or breakup was located. The 'Vietnam War' mission entry is unexplained detail beyond 'South Vietnam beaching' photography; MSTS-era voyage records are the open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. II (NAVSHIPS 250-011, April 1945), LST design table and roster (shipscribe.com scan; URL relocated from prior /styles/usnaux/sdb/ path) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 LST design table (LST542-931 row) and roster (LST715 line under Jeffersonville B. & M. Co. block)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips 1945 data for design group LST542-931, to which this hull belongs: 328 ft overall, 50 ft beam, 2,366 t light / 4,080 t full load, 11.6 knots; machinery 2 x G.M. Diesel 12-567A engines, 1,700 shp (engine-variant groups LST932-979 and LST1060-1080 carried the 12-278A - this hull is not in those blocks); accommodations 13 officers / 106 enlisted. The volume roster lists LST715 in the Jeffersonville B. & M. Co., Jeffersonville, Ind. builder block with dates 7 June 1944 / 20 July 1944 / 15 August 1944 - independently corroborating DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Class design table and roster, not a hull-specific survey - design-group specifications apply to the type, not measured on this hull. Contains no material or asbestos content. Diesel plant confirmed: no boilers in the design.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: BuShips SDB-1945 v2 machinery data (diesel plant, no boilers); NavSource hull-page specifications; class-profile research (lst-1-class, class-f worktree); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy program context (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v2 design data; NavSource specifications; lst-1-class class profile class_notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered LST-542-design hull built 1944 at a Navy-owned inland wartime yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. Era-consistent asbestos-relevant applications aboard an LST of this type and period were: diesel-exhaust lagging, engine-room thermal and acoustic insulation, machinery gaskets and valve packing, deck coverings/tile, bulkhead and accommodation insulation, and winch/windlass brake linings. The diesel plant carries no boilers - the steam-lagging pathway of steam-propelled ships does not apply, narrowing the machinery-space exposure picture relative to steam vessels of the era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1984
- Population
- Jeffersonville construction trades (1944); crew (1944-46, 1950-65); USAT/MSTS crews (1946-73); yard trades at documented availabilities (Mare Island 1951); NDRF and shipbreaking trades (1974-84)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material schedule, work package, or abatement record located for LST-715. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; establishes no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's construction (1944) and full service era (1944-1973). GAO further documented the standing policy under which asbestos insulation was removed only when damaged or required for repairs (1975), modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place unless a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific - supports era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, standing defect); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated): 'LST-715' and 'LST 715' opinion/docket searches; 'De Kalb County'/'DeKalb County' + LST and + asbestos sweeps; opinion text review of every hit returned [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-04 through -07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation - asbestos or otherwise - naming this hull was located. Hull-number sweeps: 'LST-715' zero hits in both opinion (type=o) and RECAP docket (type=r) indexes; 'LST 715' zero docket hits. Name sweeps: 'De Kalb County' + LST zero opinion hits; 'DeKalb County' + LST returned three opinion hits, all name collisions on text review - Swint v. Alphonse (Ga. App. 2018, two opinions): medical malpractice referencing DeKalb County State Court and a surgical 'LST position' (lithotomy); In re Robinson Helicopter Co. (Tex. App. 2015): a DeKalb County, Georgia, medical examiner's resume plus a Kentucky 'lST' judicial circuit. Asbestos-qualified name sweeps returned only the same collision class: 'De Kalb County' + asbestos (3 hits - Daniels v. Venta Corp., a genuine mesothelioma case but venued in DeKalb County, Illinois circuit court with no vessel involvement; two others cite Miree v. DeKalb County, 433 U.S. 25); 'DeKalb County' + asbestos (67 hits - DeKalb County, Georgia venue cases and Miree-citation doctrinal references; spot-verified collision pattern). Docket-side name sweeps ('DeKalb County'/'De Kalb County' + LST, 154 and 12 hits) return county-name dockets (Georgia police/foreclosure/bankruptcy matters) - collision class throughout.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- The vessel carried only a hull number until 1955, so hull-number sweeps (all negative) are the reliable channel; name sweeps are inherently noisy because 'DeKalb County' is a common Georgia/Illinois/Indiana/Tennessee county name appearing in thousands of opinions and dockets - every hit reviewed was a county-name collision, none a vessel reference. Absence of a located case does not prove no claim was ever filed - RECAP coverage is incomplete for older state-court matters.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-08
-
[10]Batch-7245 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; BuShips SDB-1945 v2; NavSource hull page and photo captions; MARAD vessel-history detail and status cards; NVR (not digitized); NARA (JS-blocked lead); CourtListener API v4; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum-condition report, or docketed case naming LST-715/De Kalb County was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship was scrapped in 1984, so no museum or preservation-condition documentation exists. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing material (a generic tank-landing-ship page and an Indiana jobsite list) - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - construction at a 1944 Navy yard inside the documented asbestos-use era remains a reasonable era inference. Deck logs, Mare Island 1951 work packages, MSTS voyage records, and the 1984 scrapping file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-09
-
[11]NHHC photographic catalog, USN 1045668 'USS DeKalb County (LST-715)' (NARA-series accession, National Archives copyright) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC USN 1045668 catalog page; NavSource photo-caption archive references
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's photographic catalog holds a NARA-accessioned image of this hull (USN 1045668), and NavSource captions reference further National Archives photography placing LST-715 at Iwo Jima's Green Beach (February 1945), at Yonabaru Pier, Okinawa (23 July 1945), at Inchon's Red Beach (16 September 1950, USN photo 80-G-420027), and Mare Island Naval Shipyard (August 1951); a contributed photograph shows USNS De Kalb County (T-LST-715) beached on a ramp in South Vietnam, undated, consistent with MARAD's Vietnam War mission listing. These are archival leads: the National Archives holds the underlying imagery and, presumably, the hull's RG 24 deck logs for 1944-46 and 1950-65.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1944-1951 (imagery windows)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - cataloged imagery and captions establish physical presence, not work records or material content. NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be queried directly this session; deck logs are undigitized. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-kalb-county-lst715-10